The internet of things is happening

As you all probably know, we are entering a new era of still more intimate computing technology that many are calling the Internet of Things (IoT). Machine to machine, machine to infrastructure, machine to environment, the Internet of Intelligent Things, intelligent systems or PICT: Personal, Intelligent & Calm Things. Call it what you want, but it’s happening, and its potential is huge.

Your refrigerator has started talking

The pervasiveness of embedded processing is already happening everywhere around us. At home, appliances as mundane as your basic toaster now come with an embedded MCU that not only sets the darkness of the piece of toast to your preference, but also adds functional safety to the device. Your refrigerator has started talking to you and keeping track of what you put in it. There are energy-aware HVAC systems that can now generate a report on the activity in your house and recommend ways to reduce your energy consumption.

The car of the future

The electrification of vehicles has already started happening, and in just a few years from now, each car will contain >50 percent more electronics than it did just five years ago. The cars of the future will indeed be able to drive themselves. Similar changes are also happening in other aspects of our lives: in factories, transportation, school systems, stadiums and other public venues. Embedded processing is everywhere.

Are you ready for it?

Connecting those smart devices to the web has also started happening, although at a slower rate. The pieces of the technology puzzle are coming together to accommodate the Internet of Things sooner than most people expect. Just as the Internet phenomenon happened not so long ago and caught like a wildfire, the Internet of Things will touch every aspect of our lives in less than a decade.